From Rick Perry:
"Consider how much more the people are separated from their representatives today -- and how much more dangerous that ‘generalizing and concentrating' can be," he writes, drawing on a warning from Thomas Jefferson and noting that U.S. citizens are, by and large, not able to participate closely enough in the governmental decisions that affect them.
He notes that members of Congress represented about 60,000 people each when that body was first formed -- compared with about 700,000 today -- and concludes, "So today, then, we should be even more vigilant in our effort to bring decision making back to the state and local level."
He also writes, "Ask yourself this: Are you most likely to gain the attention of the president or your local mayor? Your U.S. senator or your local city councilman? . . . Your city council, your mayor, your local school board, and often even your state representative are people who live and work in your neighborhood. These are people you are likely to be able to influence and whom you can more easily hold accountable. So, is it better for them or for Washington to have more power over your life?"
